Every clinic knows the problem: a patient books, the time comes and they don't show, the doctor waits and the slot is gone. Calling every patient before their visit eats reception's time.
This post walks through Kashfy's automatic reminders: what the patient sees, what reception sees, and where the limits are. No big promises, just how it actually works.
What happens 24 hours before the visit
Exactly 24 hours before each appointment, the patient gets a WhatsApp message in their language. It's warm and clear, with two options: Confirm or Cancel. One tap and they're done.
The message goes out from your clinic's own WhatsApp number (or the branch number if you have branches), so the patient sees it from the number they already know.
What each tap does on the board
- Confirmed: the card on the appointments board turns green and reception knows to expect them.
- Cancelled: the slot re-opens on the board and anyone on the waiting list is told they can take it.
- No reply: nothing changes yet, and we move to the next step.
Reception doesn't have to do anything. The board updates itself.
If the patient doesn't reply
4 hours before the appointment, the AI sends a gentler follow-up. If there's still no reply, the visit is flagged unconfirmed. Then it's reception's call: phone the patient or leave it. You end up calling only the unconfirmed patients, not the whole schedule.
If the patient replies with a question instead of confirming, the AI answers it and confirms the appointment separately, so it becomes a normal conversation, not a broken reminder.
No-shows detected automatically
If a confirmed patient hasn't checked in 15 minutes after their slot, the card goes yellow. At 30 minutes it's marked no-show, and the doctor can move to the next patient without a discussion.
The no-show is recorded on the patient's profile, so next time they book the AI can politely ask for confirmation upfront. And no-shows never count toward your plan's bookings.
Tuning the reminders
- Rewrite the message in your clinic's voice.
- Set per-service rules: 48h, 72h or a week ahead for procedures that need prep.
- Exclude specific patients from reminders.
- Use different rules for high-value visits like procedures and packages.
The cost you should know about
Kashfy doesn't charge for reminders, and they're unlimited on every plan without touching your booking quota. But there's a Meta rule: a reminder sent more than 24 hours after the patient's last message is a WhatsApp template message, and Meta charges you for it. So a 48 or 72 hour reminder has a cost on Meta's side. See also our post on WhatsApp pricing changes.
Limits
- Reminders reduce no-shows, they don't eliminate them. The patient still decides.
- You need your own WhatsApp Business number connected. Without it there's no WhatsApp (a Telegram bot is free).
- Unconfirmed patients may still need a call from reception for important visits.
See the full feature page for auto reminders, or try the AI yourself. The first 30 bookings are free, no card.
